Ferelden
Often regarded by its neighbours as barbaric and primtive, Ferelden is the youngest of the civilised lands. With a history bathed in blood and glory, Ferelden has faced challenge after challenge and emerged stronger each time. "The surest sign that you have underrestimated the Fereldans is that you think you have come to understand them." ''--Empress Celene I of Orlais, in a letter to her newly appointed ambassador to Denerim.'' Geography The southermost of the civilized lands in all Thedas, the kingdom of Ferelden is isolated from the rest of the world by its natural borders. To the east is the Amaranthine Ocean, to the north the Waking Sea. To the south is the wild swamplands of the Korcari Wilds, and the rugged Frostback Mountains guard the western border, with only a narrow pass between the mountains allowing land travel between Ferelden and Orlais. The western part of Ferelden is dominated by Lake Calenhad, a huge caldera filled by the runoff of glaciers from nearby mountains. Lake Calenhad is home to the famed fortress of Redcliffe, as well as the Circle Tower, which houses Ferelden's Circle of Magi . In the east is the vast Brecilian Forest, which the superstitious locals profess to be haunted, and from which rises the Dragon's Peak, a solitary mountain that guards the capital city of Denerim. Most of the land in the central portion of the kingdom, called the Bannorn, is open plains. These are crossed by the remnants of an ancient Tevinter highway that once connected Val Royeaux with the fortress of Ostagar, on the edge of the Korcari Wilds. Cities and Major Settlements *Alamar *Amaranthine *Dales End *Denerim - Capital City *Gwaren *Haven - abandoned *Highever *Honnleath *Lothering - destroyed *Redcliffe *South Reach *West Hill Regions *Amaranthine **Blackmarsh **Dragonbone Wastes **Knotwood Hills **Wending Woods *The Bannorn *Blightlands *Brandel's Reach *Brecilian Forest *Dragon's Peak *Frostback Mountains **Gherlen's Pass **Sulcher's Pass *The Hintherlands *Korcari Wilds **Ostagar *Lake Calenhad **Kinloch Hold *Soldier's Peak - Headquarters of the Grey Wardens in Ferelden History The kingdom of Ferelden as it is known these days did not exist before the Exalted Age. Before, it was instead divided up into dozens of old Alamarri clans, who constantly warred among themselves for land, honor, the allegiance of the freeholders, and, on one notable occasion, the name given to a favorite mabari. Most of what is known about founding of the nation comes from old songs that the bards passed down through the Ages. There is no agreement among poets or scholars on how he did it, but on the 33rd year of Exalted, Calenhad Teirin became Teyrn of Denerim, before gaining the support of the Circle of Magi -who then crafted for him a suit of silvery white armor that, by all accounts, repelled both arrow and blade- , and leading his army across the valley to capture Redcliffe. Presenting himself to the banns of the Landsmeet , Calenhad united the clans to become the first King of Ferelden, and later a figure of myth and legend. From Calenhad came the line of Theirin kings and queens who reigned uninterrupted, until the 44th year of the Blessed Age, when the Orlesian invaded the nation. The rightful king was forced to flee Denerim, and for 70 years a puppet sat upon the throne. The occupation was a dark blot on Ferelden's history. Ferelden's people, who from time immemorial valued their freedom over all else, were forced to bow to Orlesian rule. Chevaliers routinely plundered freeholds of coin, food, and even women and children, and excused it as "taxation".For seventy years, no Landsmeets were held, declared by the Orleisan throne to be a form of treason King Brandel managed to escape captivity, and resoled to reclaim his country. He tried to organize the other fugitive lords to retake their land, but Brandel was neither clever nor persuasive, and the nobles preferred to take their chances alone. Ferelden might still be little more than a territory of the Empire were it not for the fact that his daughter had all the charisma that her royal father lacked. The Rebel Queen's rule began with a midnight attack on the imperial armory at Lothering. It was swift and successful, and with their pilfered arms the rebels began a campaign against the Orlesians in earnest. The true turning point of the war came when a young freeholder joined the queen's army. The lad, Loghain Mac Tir, possessed a remarkable talent for strategy, and quickly became the favorite advisor of young Prince Maric. The queen finally died at the hands of Orlesian sympathizers anxious to curry favor with their foreign overlords, and Maric took her place as the leader of the rebellion, with Loghain became Maric's right hand. Maric and Loghain led the rebels in a new campaign against their Orlesian oppressors, culminating in the battle of River Dane, where the last Chevaliers in Denerim were crushed. With the capital once more in the hands of Fereldans, the battle to free themselves was finally over. Maric was crowned King, naming Loghain as Teyrn of Gwaren, and the country began to rebuild. For the first time since their part in a coup against a previous Ferelden King, the Grey Wardens were allowed to return to the country, although their numbers were ever few. Diplomatic relations were only rebuilt with Orlais when Empress Celene I took the Orelisan throne, and after King Maric had disappeared at sea, presumed dead. Having won their freedom with blood and steel, the peiople of Ferelden gained a militaristic reputation. When the Fifth Blight emerged in the Kocari Wilds to the south of the country, the young King Cailan, son of the late King Maric, seemed to embrace this militaristic reputation. Raising his armies and refusing to wait for more troops and reinforcements from Orlais, the lad pitched his forces and all of the Ferelden Wardens against the darkspawn in a plan devised by Teryn Loghain. Fighting in the thick of battle, the young king was left to die when Loghain quit the battlefield, and the vast majority of Ferelden's troops and Grey Wardens perished at the hands of the darkspawn. Naming himself Regent of the country, Loghain returned to Denerim. Declaring the remaining Grey Wardens to be traitors who allowed the King to die, Loghain's rule brought civil war to Ferelden. Only the efforts of the Arl of Redcliffe, who Loghain had allowed to be posioned, working with the Grey Warden Quentin Amell were able to stop the civil war. Producing a bastard heir of Maric's, the pair forced a Landsmeet which saw the banns turn against Loghain, who was executed for his crimes by Quentin. The Grey Warden Alistair was allowed to claim the throne in favour of Cailan's widow Queen Anora, uniting the human forces of Ferelden for the final battle with the darkspawn. Following the defeat of the Archdemon and the end of the Blight, Ferelden has once again begun to recover. The young King, advised by the former Arl of Redcliffe who is now Chancellor of Denerim, has grown into his role and learnt much about ruling. Culture and Society Populated by a barbarian, militaristic culture, Ferelden has only begun to civilize in the last few centuries. Fereldan cities are considered anarchic by most standards. The Fereldan desire for freedom has engendered a laissez-faire cultural attitude towards law enforcement and behavior in general. While the worst offenses are quickly put down, many others are ignored and citizens are often left to make their own justice. Petty theft is common, as guardsmen will only go out of their way to deal with major crimes. Commerce is largely unregulated as long as taxes are paid: businesses such as brothels and gambling halls are not only tolerated, but expected. As a people. the Fereldens tend to put a lot of emphasis in simple practicality, and have a strong sense of family and honour. The Mabari Hounds One of the first things all foreigners notice about Ferelden are their dogs. The dogs -better known as Mabari Hounds- seem to be everywhere. They are pictured in paintings, they appear in heraldies, there are even statues of the dogs.' ' In every civilized corner of Thedas, an astute observer will notice dogs employed in hunting game, keeping barns and storehouses free of vermin, herding livestock, guarding homes, and even used as beasts of burden in the mountains. It is simply that Fereldans show appreciation for the work that their dogs do. A well trained warhound is the pride and joy of its master and frightening opponent in the battlefield. Politics To its neighbors, Ferelden seems utterly chaotic. Unlike other monarchies, power does not descend from their throne. Rather, it arises from the support of the freeholders. They also have a extreme dislike for the Orleisians due to their treatment of native Fereldans during the occupation. All polticial power in Ferelden descends from the Landsmeet, a meeting and collection of the banns and arls of the country, and even the King must work to win and keep the support and approval of the freeholders. Titles All nobility may be referred to as 'lordship/ladyship' or 'my lord/lady' when not using their title. This is also the correct term for their spouse. Ser A male or female knight of the realm. Also commonly used as a polite term of address to and by those of equal or greater status than oneself.' ' Bann Each freehold chooses the bann or arl to whom it pays allegiance. Typically, this choice is made based on proximity of the freehold to the lord’s castle, as it’s rarely worthwhile to pay for the upkeep of soldiers who will arrive at your land too late to defend it. For the most part, each generation of freeholders casts their lot with the same bann as their fathers did, but things can and do change. No formal oaths are sworn, and it is not unheard of, especially in the prickly central Bannorn, for banns to court freeholders away from their neighbors, a practice that inevitably begins feuds that can last for ages. Arl/Arlessa The teyrns established the arls, giving them command of strategic fortresses that the teyrns could not oversee themselves. They are somewhat more prestigious than banns but -with the known exception of the Arl of Amaranthine- traditionally have no banns sworn to them. Teyrn/Teyrna Teyrns arose from among the banns, war leaders who, in antiquity, had grown powerful enough to move other banns to swear fealty to them. There were many of these in the days before King Calenhad, but he succeeded in whittling them down to only two: Gwaren in the south and Highever in the north. These teyrns still hold the oaths of banns and arls. They may call upon them in the event of war or disaster and they are responsible for defending those sworn to them. Teyrns are referred to as "your Grace,". A form imported by the Orlesians. King/Queen The king is the most powerful of the teyrns. Although Denerim was originally the teyrnir of the king, it has since been reduced to an arling, as the king’s domain is now all of Ferelden. However, even the king’s power must come from the banns. This is especially evident during the Landsmeet, an annual council for which the nobles of Ferelden gather. It has been held for almost three thousand years with only a few interruptions for Blights and invasions. The sight of a king asking for, and working to win the support of "lesser" men is a source of constant wonder to foreign ambassadors. A king or queen is referred to as "your Majesty", while a prince or princess is called "your Highness." Ferelden's current king is Alistair, son of late king Maric Theirin. Ferelden at Fortress of Glass Here at Fortress of Glass, welcome characters of any class from Ferelden, and are happy for any reasonable member plot to occur in Ferelden. A limited number of Ferelden character may, with staff approval, own a mabari hound. Plots in Ferelden The young King Alistair may have learnt much about ruling, but that does not mean his rule is perfect. Forced to respond to outside events beyond his control, the young King may find that old greivances will come back to the fore, and murmurings of discontent may begin to grow louder. Never a statesman at heart, Alistair's actions will have to be ever more astute, and he himself ever more cunning if he wishes to hold his throne. The Battle at the Gallows has had implications everywhere, and Ferelden is no different. Within the confines of Kinloch Hold, the mages may have greater autonomy than nearly any other Circle in Thedas, but even they are calling for greater change. Never happy with the King's decision to grant Kinloch Hold autonomy, how much longer willl the Chantry tolerate these rumblings? Tensions with Orlais may have eased over the years since the invasion, but neither side can forget those years. As the nobles of Orlais become disillusioned with their scholar Empress, Ferelden is again being looked at with lust. After centuries of wandering, the Dalish elves have finally found a new homeland. Granted land in the south of Ferelden, the elves finally have another chance to rebuild and recover their culture - though history has never been kind to the elves. With the Chantry all too aware of the magical nature of the Dalish Keepers, and ambitious humans all around them, the Dalsih face a struggle to stake their claim to the land, and will no doubt face many challenges on the road to acceptance. Redirect Main Page Registration Details Site Backstory Category:Locations Category:Ferelden